Abraham Olutoye Odeleye Ph. D
toyeodeleye@gmail.com
Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso
&
Oluwakemi Olajumoke Amuda
amudaoluwakemi37@gmail.com
Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso
ABSTRACT
Children are Gods heritage to every family and they require a lot of care to fulfil their destiny. They are feeble and depend on their parents, guardians and society for their survival. Every child has a potential to live a good life and they have the right to live. However, despite the law against child abuse, it is evident that child abuse is prevalent in the society which is inimical to childrens physical, moral, emotional and spiritual well-being and to the society at large. Abuse of children exists in the society today and Christian families are not exempted from the menace. Abuse of children occurs when parents or guardians refuse to care for children and expose them to various attacks that could harm and endanger their lives. Therefore, this paper delved into the moral obligations of the church social ministry to abused children and abusers to curtail the menace in the society. The paper submitted that when the social ministry of the church makes a deliberate effort in ministering to abused children, the future of these children will be secured. The paper concluded that the war against child abuse is beyond what the Nigerian government can solely handle; the church, through the social ministry and other stakeholders, is in the best position to curtail the menace. Churches and their social workers, as well as individuals should have zero tolerance for child abuse and should help abused children experience Gods love towards having a new beginning.
Key Words: Child Abuse, Church Social Ministry, Moral Obligation
Introduction
Children are Gods heritage to every family and they require a lot of care to fulfil their destinies. They are feeble and depend on their parents and society for their survival. Every child has a potential to live a good life and they have the right to live. Every child needs care from the womb to escape situations that could damage and destabilise them for the rest of their lives. It is a moral standard from God to care for children and treat them with dignity. However, abuse of children occurs today in society which is inimical to their physical, moral, emotional and spiritual well-being. Abuse of children exists in society today and Christian families are not exempted from the menace. Abuse of Children occurs when parents or guardians refuse to care for children and expose them to various attacks that could harm and endanger their lives.
Hardly will a day elapse without the news about abused children on radio, television, newspapers or, social media. Globally, it is estimated that about 1 billion children aged 2 to 17 have reportedly experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect in the year 2021. As projected by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), six out of every ten Nigerian children experience some forms of violence and one in four girls and ten percent of boys have been victims of sexual violence. Reflecting on the above submission, it is glaring that child abuse is a global problem. The issue of child abuse is evident in the Nigerian context, which poses a lot of challenges to the church social ministry.
For the effectiveness of the fight against child abuse in Nigeria, different laws were promulgated and different acts that constitute child abuse with the penalty for offenders are highlighted. One of these is the Child’s Right Act 2003, a 265-paged document that provides and protects a Nigerian child’s rights. With the awareness, the expectation is that there would be
a reduction in the number of abused children but the experience is the opposite. This implies that the issue of child abuse in Nigeria is beyond what the Nigerian government alone can handle. The church, through her social ministry should be part of this struggle. This paper is limited to children in the church setting and children living with one disability or the other are not the focus of this paper. The children under discussion are between day one of birth to 12 years of age. Against this background, this paper conducts an overview of church social ministry, overview of child abuse in Nigeria, and factors responsible for child abuse. It further delves into the moral obligations of the church’s social ministry toward abused children.
